THE LOST SPRING

1. Why did the author realize that her advice to Saheb was ‘hollow?’
On meeting Saheb the author advised him to go to school. But when she gave an afterthought the author
realized that the thought of going to school had never occurred to children like Saheb. For them rag picking
is more meaningful than schooling and learning as it helps them to survive on a day-to-day basis.
2. Why was the author embarrassed when Saheb asked her if her school was ready?
Seeing Saheb ruining his childhood picking waste, the author once asked him if he would join her school if
she started one. Saheb gave her a positive answer. Another day when the two met, Saheb asked her if her
school was ready. The author suddenly felt speechless as she had not meant to start a school as Saheb had
expected, and had only said so in jest.
3. How does Anees Jung explain the over sensitivity of the poor rag pickers to the rich men’s
promises?
Anees Jung strongly believes that the poor people are over sensitive to the promises of the rich. She had
experienced this in the case of Saheb who believed the fake promise of starting a school given by her.
4. Why should there be a hard time for Saheb to believe the meaning of his name?
Saheb’s full name is Saheb-E-Alam which means the Lord of the Universe. Being a poor rag picker
struggling for daily survival, Saheb cannot believe that the Lord of the Universe is supposed to be like him
and therefore he will struggle to believe the meaning of his name.
5. How does the author reason the barefoot tradition of the rag pickers?
The rag pickers of Seemapuri are traditionally barefooted. The author is doubtful about the origin and
reasons behind this tradition of the rag pickers. She believes that it is an excuse to explain their poverty. But
on the other side she sees the possibilities of the traces of an ancient tradition preserved by the poor rag
pickers.
6. How is Seemapuri both near and far away from Delhi?
Seemapuri is a backward area on the periphery of Delhi. Geographically it is very close to Delhi whereas its
traditions, standard of life and people are far behind the time. No proper civic amenities, huts and shanties,
heaps of garbage are strewn around.
7. Food is more important for survival than an identity. How is this statement true in the lives of the
Seemapurian rag pickers?
Thousands of rag pickers live in Seemapuri. They do not have any identity in their society or in the country.
Yet they are happy for the fact that here they don’t need to starve as it used to be in Bangladesh where they
had come from.
8. How did Seemapuri turn out to be a better place for the Bangladeshis?
Seemapuri was a deserted area when the Bangladeshis arrived here three decades ago. They were forced to
come here due to the natural disasters in Bangladesh. They loved Seemapuri because they could survive
here. They had food and shelter here.
9. How do you understand rag picking having the proportions of a fine art in Seemapuri?
Like any other art form, rag picking possesses certain talents and rules which can be learnt by practise. One
should know where to find garbage, what to take, what to ignore, what time is best for it and so on. In
Seemapuri every child is taught the essential art of rag picking.
10. ‘It seems that for children, garbage has a meaning different from what it means to their parents.’
Explain.
In Seemapuri survival means rag picking. The elders have made it their profession for a fixed wages
whereas for the children rag picking is a game of treasure-hunting. They work through the garbage with a
hope that one day they would get a gold coin or a rupee note from the garbage heap.
11. How is Mukesh’s attitude different from that of Saheb, both two sides of the same coin?
Mukesh and Saheb belong to slums and are forced to work as children. Saheb is cool and lack much
determination in life. He is less expressive. Changes happened to him unexpectedly. Mukesh is determined
and well planned. He is practical too. Unlike therest of his people, Mukesh is ready to rebel with the social
set up and is optimistic about his bright future.
12. What is the incongruity of Mukesh’s dreaming to be a motor mechanic?
Mukesh belongs to a bangle-making family in Firozabad. His people believe that they have to keep up with
the traditions and that they have to do no other work other than bangle-making for the auspiciousness of
marriage in the country. But Mukesh wishes to be a motor mechanic which is out of question in his tradition.
Hence his dreams are incongruous with the societal setup in which he lives.
13. How does the author narrate the child labour prevailing in Firozabad?
Around 20,000 children are working in glass furnaces with high temperatures, in dingy cells without air and
light. Here they slog their daylight hours, often losing the brightness of their eyes. They weld pieces of
coloured glass onto the bangles in the light of flickering oil lamps. Due to this they often end up losing their
eyesight before they become adults.
14. Karma and God-given lineage amply tell the sad picture of the stigma of religion that rules the
poor people of India. Explain.
India is still primitive in many spheres of life even in our time. A big majority of Indians in the villages still
believe the division of labour system that began centuries ago. When one is not doing any better in life due
to the unwillingness to adopt another profession, they accept it as God’s plan and do the same work as if it is
a God given lineage. And even if they want to break away from the tradition, many times the society doesn’t
allow them by attaching a stigma to them if they pursue a different profession.
15. Which are the two hurdles that Mukesh has to break away for a better existence?
Mukesh has realized that being a bangle maker will not alleviate his poverty and therefore he wishes to
become a motor mechanic to be successful in his life. But doing any job other than bangle making is out of
question in his society. He has to first convince his family and society of the need of undertaking another
profession. If the society lets him choose his way, Mukesh has to face an inconvincible group of middlemen,
politicians and their watchdogs, and the police of Firozabad, who together conspire to keep the bangle
makers of Firozabad shackled in poverty.
16. Why is Saheb not his own master?
Saheb was his own master when he was a rag picker. He was not accountable to anyone nor was he to work
for someone. But now Saheb is working for a tea shop, having to carry milk from a milk booth. Even though
he is paid Rs.800 and all his meals, Saheb has lost his freedom to roam with his friends and to be his own
master.
17. How far is the change good for Saheb?
Saheb was once a carefree boy, with no responsibilities and tensions, and of course, no achievements in life.
But now he is a responsible boy, earning more than anyone in his society does. While the others go on a lazy
life, Saheb-e-Alam is rising to a prosperous life. Soon he will be rich and leading a different life and a model
for the rest of him.
18. In what sense is Mukesh’s father a failure?
Mukesh’s father was once a tailor before he became a bangle maker in Firozabad. He was a failure in his life
as he could not teach his two sons anything other than the art of bangle making. Also, even after working for
almost all his life, he hasn’t been able to provide his children with education, nor his family with a well-built
house, nor put two square meals on the table. Thus in all areas – food, housing, education – Mukesh’s father
has been a failure.
19. Explain: Daring is not part of his growing up.
Mukesh’s society does not dare to question the social evils that they suffer under the middlemen and
politicians and policemen. Most people here believe that they are asked by god to carry on this unprofitable
profession of bangle making while some people blame their destiny for their wretchedness. So no one is
allowed to think differently and the question of how to overcome the curse of the middlemen usually doesn’t
arise among them because if any one dared to rise against them, they are suppressed.
20. What do you mean by ‘stigma of caste?’
In many parts of India, the centuries old caste system is still strongly rooted. As a result, people are not
allowed to take up profession outside their caste, and neither are they willing to. When a child is born, he is
burdened by the caste of his family, as he is destined to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather
even if he has different talents and ambitions. In this way, a person carries the stamp or stigma of his caste
throughout his life which affects his choice of work among other things.
21. What is the vicious circle for the people of Firozabad? Why is it called so?
Bangle makers of Firozabad are caught in a trap. On the one hand, they believe in the god-given lineage of
bangle making and pass it on to the next generations, thus condemning them to a life of poverty. On the
other hand, they are suppressed and oppressed by the money lenders/middlemen/politicians/police etc. who
do not allow them to organize or improve their conditions and haul them to jail if they try to raise
themselves above poverty. As a result they lament their condition but take no steps to improve it. So they are
caught in a circle from which they cannot escape and which keeps dragging them down like a whirlpool.